The Economy of God and the Politics of the Devil

Discontinuations and continuations are phenomena depending on the progression of time. Western conceptions of linear, eschatological time stems from the Jewish-Christian religious tradition. In this paper, we trace the theological underpinnings of discontinuities from its theological origins as acts of evil, incorporated by the devil, who by his interventions postpone the future to the future. The modern form of tourism spanning the globe is tested as an example of both the power and the limits of Luhmannian systems theory, as tourism is a synchronous development emerging throughout the world, and yet the mode of observation of systems theory is tested for its observational limitations by its heavy reliance on concepts from the Jewish-Christian tradition, doctrines and philosophy.
Although secularization made the differentiation of functional systems possible as the main form of societal organization for Modernity, the devilish concept of discontinuations continues to form the basic understanding of western perceptions of limitations and finiteness of social systems, minds and bodies alike. Systems theory is shown to inherit specific temporal paradoxes from the theological tradition of the limit of Gods eternal economy of grace by the actions of the fallen angel Lucifer, the Christian devil. In conclusion, the paper discusses how the ancient distinction between the Christian God and the Devil still shows its presence in the basic concept of Luhmannian systems theory, and how it in turn influences how systems theory observes the politics of (dis-)continuity.